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Topic: Ball Joints 69 Camaro (Read 6198 times)

Here is a comparison between the stock ball joints and the after market units I purchased. They appear to be quite different. I am curious if other brands like the ones at Heart Beat City are closer to original than the ones I have currently. I plan to rivet the new ball joints in like the factory. I am hoping that it is possible to find units that look more correct that the repops.

Just compared a HBC original one to my original ones side by side the other day . They are close at first glance ,the bigest thing that I noticed are the spot welds on the top of them are a lot smaller.That and that ugly little gold sticker on the bag it cames in.

Thanks James that is good information. I was going to try to find some that are more correct, but look like that would not be the best use of my time or money. The only reason I am changing them is because the are 43 years old and I am restoring everything. The current replacement ball joints I have are off shore made in India parts. I may see what HBC has for sale. With that said I wonder if there is any point riveting in after market ball joints. I also assume that using my originals is not a good idea from a safety perspetive.

James, great pictures. I only had one original upper ball joint on my early 69. It had the bubble top. The ones HBC sell were very close to the original but had additional weld points on top. Overall I was pretty happy with them. George

I reused my uppers also (they were good and tight), but replaced the lowers...there is very little load (only lateral) on the uppers, so they generally last 2-3 times longer even in a car that sees lot of miles...Attached is a photo of my orig upper, after removal for cleaning and suspension & brake rebuilding.. and reinstallation. These uppers are the originals, never replaced on my 09C 69 Z28..

As noted, I have changed lots of lowers, but as a rule the uppers last a lot longer. If you feel like you want new ones, then use the Heratbeat ball joints, they are close enough for what you are doing IMO. BTW riveting them in is not that hard, if you don't want to tackle it, take them to a big rig truck shop, they will have a rivit press and the tools.

As noted, I have changed lots of lowers, but as a rule the uppers last a lot longer. If you feel like you want new ones, then use the Heratbeat ball joints, they are close enough for what you are doing IMO. BTW riveting them in is not that hard, if you don't want to tackle it, take them to a big rig truck shop, they will have a rivit press and the tools.

Thanks Mike. I could not get a good picture of the HBC balljoints from the photo of the full suspension rebuild kit I ordered. However like with many of the parts I have been acquiring, I have purchased most parts in repop and or used and I then compare all of the parts and choose the parts I think look the most correct and will work the best for that particular application. In most cases it comes down to original parts from my car or used parts I have found. Some parts make sense to used repop, like the brake lines, fuel lines, some brake components etc. When safety is involved I am hoping that a repop of the highest quality is the better choice. Let me know if you have any parts lying around that you think that I might be able to use.

Unless really abused and left ungreased, the uppers rarely wear out. I kept mine and replaced the boots only. That way I didn't have to worry about rivets matching up.

Thanks Lynn. That is good information. I am not expert, but I think all of my ball joints seem alright. They are really stiff. I was planning to replace them all as they are all original. However like with most of the parts on the car, I am trying to keep as many original parts as possible. My main concern was changing parts for safety. But like with many of the other parts, perhaps some of the original parts may in fact still be strong and safe. Perhaps stronger and safer than off shore stuff. Just saying!

Original GM ball joints will have quite a bit of play LONG before they are a serious safety issue. On first gen Camaros, it is usually tie rods and ilder arm that go first.

I know most guys go with Moog tie rods, but Raybestos makes a really good one with larger ball socket. Can't remember what they call it, but it is the higher priced one of the two they offer. Rock Auto has them at a good price.

They do not look exactly like the originals, but I consider parts like that to be wear items, and just don't worry too much about being a perfect match. Just like I am not worried about having a 69 issue fan belt on my car.